“American Badger” (**1/2 out of four) was a reasonably well-done pulp action thriller about a cold-blooded hitman (Kirk Caouette who also wrote and directed) who is assigned to befriend a call girl (Andrea Stefancikova) who he starts to fall for but he finds his own sense of purpose and professionalism at a crossroads when he is then assigned to kill her and has to turn on his criminal underworld family in order to keep her alive. Better-than-average for this type of thing with both fierce action scenes and some strong dialogue and character development; not a total success (story wanders at various points) but Caouette does overall good work on both sides of the camera.

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“The Carnivores” (*1/2 out of four) was a bizarre and boring melodrama about a young couple (Lindsay Burdge and Tallie Medel) whose dog is dying and this leads to a disturbing series of suspicions, self-doubts, and consumption of ground beef within the family (hence the title). As strange as it sounds but also disjointed and dull. By the end you’ll likely wonder what the hell the point was. Attempts to be sexual and luridly incisive but film sorely lacks any dramatic meat or filling.

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“Death In Texas” (**1/2 out of four) was an occasionally stirring melodrama about an ex-con (Ronnie Gene Blevins) just released from prison who returns home to Texas to find his mother (Lara Flynn Boyle) dying of liver failure. Since she is low on the transplant list and they are low on resources, he eventually returns to crime on the other side of the border while an elderly mob enforcer (Bruce Dern), a determined cop (John Ashton), and a mysterious figure (Stephen Lang) from the past all emerge. Leisurely story never quite soars but holds you in its grip thanks to a strong cast (with its first notable roles in years for both Ashton and Boyle) and good location photography from Jonathan Hall.

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“The Box” (*1/2 out of four) was a curiously glum and flat psychodrama about a struggling actor (Andrew Ableson) who is haunted by a recurring dream that he is trapped in a house with impenetrable mirrors which causes him to psychologically and personally unravel. Writer/director Sasha Sibley works in a style that harks back to Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” and Paul Anderson’s “Event Horizon” but it all adds up to……..nothing, since the central story and character are so uninvolving. By the way- this is not a remake of the 2009 James Marsden/Cameron Diaz thriller of the same name.

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“Flashback” (** out of four) was an ambitious but limited melodrama about a high-school loner (Dylan O’Brien) who has a chance encounter with a man (Emory Cohen) forgotten from his youth and this leads him to literally and metaphysically journey into his past but will this alter his present and future? Writer/director Christopher Macbride utilizes an eerie and elegiac style that is at times hypnotic but also at other times (most of the time) aloof and flat. Film has story fragments from “Donnie Darko” and “Memento” but fails to congeal as a satisfying whole. Haunting music score by Anthony Scott Burns Pilotpriest.

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“Triassic Hunt” (** out of four) was a flimsy action thriller about a group of mercenaries (Sienna Farall, William Jeon, and others) who are hired to stop and kill two genetically bred dinosaurs who are on the loose and have turned into man-eating killing machines while various sinister governmental operators (Michael Pare and Linnea Quigley) monitor things from afar. Yet another low-budget knockoff of “Jurassic Park”, no better nor no worse than others, but utterly routine and by-the-numbers. Special effects and dinosaur scenes aren’t bad considering film’s threadbare budget but story, characters, and script are all in need of extinction.

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“Brimstone Incorporated” (*1/2 out of four) was a lame and cheesy horror-anthology movie centered around a law firm that is also the gateway to hell and focuses on three stories involving a mama’s boy who then kills his mother, a first date gone horribly wrong, and a songwriter who smokes some very bad marijuana which leads to a series of mind-altering consequences. Only some excellent effects in the last of the stories gives this any distinction or spark but by then it’s too late in the game for it to matter. Film is only recommended for those who didn’t fully appreciate “Creepshow” or “Tales From The Darkside” at the time.

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“Stalker” (** out of four) was a lurid pulp melodrama about a young man (Vincent Van Horn) who has just gotten to first-base with a new woman (Christine Ko) that he met when he meets and befriends an unstable Uber driver (Michael Lee Joplin) who turns out to be a nutcase who is intent on taking over and destroying his life. Good acting and filmmaking hold your attention for a little while but after a while you’ll be numbed by the unpleasantness and violence. Final plot twist is arbitrary and unnecessary. Perhaps it’s time that filmmakers give the psycho Uber-and-taxi drivers stories a rest for a little while.

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“Saltwater: The Battle For Ramree Island” (*1/2 out of four) was an anemic horror thriller set during WWII in which a group of soldiers (Charlie Bond, Steven Dolton, Ryan Harvey, and others) in search of a secret Japanese ammunition store instead find themselves in a fight for their lives against a group of deadly saltwater crocodiles in the heart of Ramree Island. Allegedly inspired by a true story in the war but that still doesn’t save film from being a dreary timewaster; even the crocodiles look bored (and pretty tacky also). You’d best watch the Science or Discovery Channel for more scares and excitement.

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“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” (**1/2 out of four) was a reasonably efficient horror show about the Warren investigators (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) looking into more paranormal activity that has led to murder and may be linked to a 1981 murder trial that took place in Connecticut. Eight entry in this blockbuster horror series is actually one of the better entries with a sufficient amount of jumps, jolts, and scares and directed with style by Michael Chaves; still, though, it’s pretty thin stuff and is needlessly overlong at nearly two hours. Fans of the series will love it; others needn’t bother by this point.

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